When you’re hiring salespeople, you know that these individuals must have an enthusiastic, positive attitude in order to excel. They must also truly believe in the products they’re selling. However, there are several other key traits that make a strong salesperson. The next time you’re ready to hire a seller, keep an eye out for the following traits in a potential new employee:

The ability to really listen

The best salespeople are those who build relationships instead of simply trying to force their products on potential clients. Sellers who take the time to cultivate relationships and truly listen to what would-be clients need are able to deliver services more effectively, ultimately strengthening their relationships with clients and yielding long-term connections. While you need your team to be aggressive, you also need them to know when to take a step back and fully understand what potential customers are searching for.

The ability to focus on your positives instead of their negatives

It’s easy to want to talk smack about competitors in order to get the sale, but the best sellers are able to close the deal without doing this. When you trash a competitor, it actually makes you look unprofessional and can hurt your connection with a client. Instead of talking about why the competition is terrible, focus on why you’re superior and how you’re doing a more effective job. Particularly if your industry is small, you want to avoid becoming the company that rips the competition apart simply because they don’t have anything positive to say about their own products. Focus on your own strengths instead of others’ weaknesses.

The ability to stay organized

Sometimes making the sale can take weeks, months, or even years, so staying organized becomes crucial. Your sellers need to remember when to follow up with that client who said he’d be interested in a few months, when they last made contact with a strong potential new customer, and when their biggest client’s new product launch that they promised they’d attend is happening. If they can stay organized, keeping track of all of this is easy.

What are some of the key skills you look for when you hire for sellers? Let us know in the comments!